Snow and Lace
by Allanna Stone
Summary: Elsa is a motherless child living in the slums of Solaria. One day when she dares to run away from the cruel orphanage where she lives, she finds herself in a war between elves and dwarves.
1. Chapter 1

**Snow and Lace**

**I do not own LOTR or Frozen.**

**SUMMARY:**

**Elsa is a motherless child living in the slums of Solaria. One day when she dares to run away from the cruel orphanage where she lives, she finds herself in a war between elves and dwarves.**

Elsa closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. She knew what she was going to do would earn her a fierce lashing and no food for a week if she was caught, but she was tired of the life she was forced to live.

The fifteen year old girl sighed when she heard the stiff old coot who ran the orphanage shuffle off from counting head, muttering to herself as she probably went to the liquor cabinet to take in three more bottles of spirits.

"Anna!" she hissed to the girl sharing the cramped bed.

"Are you sure that this is a good idea?" Anna whispered as the older girl reached under the bed and grabbed her runsack, which had already been packed earlier that day, having anticipated this night.

"Trust me, Anna- I have the plan all worked out!" Elsa whispered as she dropped her runsack out the window before turning to look her in the eye. Pale blue met darker blue. "I'll find a job and then send word for you to come join me- simple as that!"

"But what if mistress notices that you're gone?" Anna fretted worriedly, biting on the end of her braid.

"She won't care- the more kids she has, the more money she gets from the government to waste on liquor!" scoffed the girl before jumping out the window and taking up her bag before racing off towards the road. She stopped only long enough to wave to the girl who was more like a little sister than a friend before running into the forests which surrounded Solaria.


	2. Chapter 2

**Snow and Lace**

**I do not own LOTR or Frozen.**

**SUMMARY:**

**Elsa is a motherless child living in the slums of Solaria. One day when she dares to run away from the cruel orphanage where she lives, she finds herself in a war between elves and dwarves.**

Elsa quickly ran to Mirkwood, where she knew that there was plenty of work.

When she arrived at the city, she had to take a moment to stare about.

There were stalls with hand crafted good for sale, healthy children running about shouting with laughter, and several small shops. Elsa decided to ask inside the shops for work first.

The first shop she entered was a tailor owned and ran by an older gentleman.

"Hello, how may I help you?" he asked her kindly.

"I'm looking for work to support my younger sister and I," Elsa answered, knowing that lying to an elf was a bad idea altogether.

"Can you sew?" he asked her.

"Not too well, but I am a fast learner," Elsa informed him, following him into a back room, where she was told to sit down and finish seaming a tunic.

"You're fast with a needle," he observed.

"I had to do the mending, as how I'm the eldest." Elsa's mouth zipped shut after that comment.

"Come from a big family?" he asked her, taking her work over to a window to inspect.

"Of some sorts," was all that Elsa offered him.

"Well, good work, you've got yourself a job." They shook hands and he was introduced as Jacob. "Do you know how to work from a pattern?"

"No sir, I do not," answered Elsa. "But if you show me once, I'll remember it for the rest of my life."

And so began their work, with Jacob explaining everything there was to know about his craft to Elsa, who soaked in everything like a sponge.

"You were right- you are a fast learner!" chuckled Jacob after Elsa had completed sewing a simple dress in a twenty minute span. Elsa only cracked a smile at him before beginning to add colorful embroider to the dress. "You are very skilled Elsa," Jacob praised her before going into the front of the shop to manage.

Elsa worked in the back of the room, humming songs that she heard from the other chidren of the orphanage who would come in with stories of their homes.

"Elsa?"

Her head jerked up at her name and she noticed that it was almost evening.

"You must be hungry," Jacob chuckled, handing her a roll with chese and meat stuffed inside and a mug of cider.

"Thank you." Elsa tore into her meal as her teacher went around snuffing out the candles and closing and locking the windows before taking the tunic she was embroidering and placing it onto a table, with the promise that it would be there when the next morning came.

"Come, I have a spare bedroom you can stay in if you want," Jacob smiled kindly at her as he led her upstairs, where she was shown to a plan but comfy bedroom for the night. There was a toy chest in a corner of the room, a shelf filled with handmade dolls, and the bed was covered with a quilt.

For the first time, Elsa realized how tired she was- she hadn't slept for a full night and a full day. Before she knew what had happened, she was on the bed and asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Snow and Lace**

**I do not own LOTR or Frozen.**

**SUMMARY:**

**Elsa is a motherless child living in the slums of Solaria. One day when she dares to run away from the cruel orphanage where she lives, she finds herself in a war between elves and dwarves.**

Early the next morning, Elsa woke up and washed her face before going downstairs to help Jacob open the shop for the day. The young girl was quite happy at working in the back room, only coming out when Jacob called her. Many of Jacob's clients were startled at her young age but they were put to rest when she would measure them and age questions about designs and patterns.

Elsa soon grew to love sewing and embroidery. Normally it was something she hated doing, as how she always had to patch up the same rips and tears back at the orphanage, but here, she was free to do whatever designs she wanted except when the customer wanted something specific.

"Elsa?" Jacob asked her a week after she started working for him. "You might work faster if you take off your gloves."

"My gloves must stay on if I don't want to hurt people," Elsa told him in as few words as possible before clamming up.

Jacob didn't say anything else about her gloves after that because someone came into the shop at that moment.

"Greetings, my lady, how might I be of service to you?"

Elsa's ears perked up at the formal greeting- Jacob had always been causal with customers. She dared to take a peek out of the workroom to see who the visitor was. She poked her pale blonde head out around the curtain which separated the front from the workroom and bit her lip at who was standing in the humble shop.

A stunning elvin woman wearing a pale purple dress, her hair long and fair )though not as pale as Elsa's), with a kind smile on her face.

"Oh, I wasn't aware that you had a daughter, Jacob!" he soft voice wafted into Elsa's ear, making her hold her head up high as she stepped from the workroom and tried her best to glide over to greet the elegant woman.

"Elsa' not my daughter but my appetence, my lady," Jacob told her.

"I am Minuialwen, daughter of Elvenking Thranduil," the lady introduced herself. Elsa bowed as how she didn't know how to do a proper curtsy.

"My name is Elsa," she responded, with a slight dip of the head. Minuialwen placed two of her fingers underneath Elsa's chin to examine her closer.

Elsa was a stunning fifteen year old elvin girl with pale skin, a light dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks, rosy cheek and azure eyes. But what was most startling about her was her hair- platinum blonde curls which fell down her shoulder in a plain, however elegant side braid.

"Oh my, you are quite young my dear," clucked Minuialwen in a motherly way before straightening up with the same kind smile she was wearing only moments ago.

"I was just about to tell Lady Minuialwen of your finely embroidery skills, Elsa," Jacob told her with a grandfatherly twinkle in his eyes. "Perhaps you would care to show her a few of your samplers?"

"I shall return in a few moments, my lady, Jacob." Elsa quickly gathered up her samplers of fine embroidery she could add to garments before returning to show the royal woman.

"Oh, you are quite talented, Elsa," Minuialwen praised her, flipping through several pieces of scrap fabric with fine attentive embroidery stitched along the borders and forming delicate designs.

"I'm a quick learner, my lady," Elsa offered her the same response she had given everyone else who had marveled over her fine handiwork.

"I came to Jacob because I needed a new gown for a banquet in three months time, but I do believe that I may have found someone who I can come to her personal work," Minuialwen told Elsa with a smile.

"I am honored, my lady," Elsa smiled back at her, her heart hammering in her chest.

_Hang on Anna- I'm still coming for you._


	4. Chapter 4

**Snow and Lace**

**I do not own LOTR or Frozen.**

**SUMMARY:**

**Elsa is a motherless child living in the slums of Solaria. One day when she dares to run away from the cruel orphanage where she lives, she finds herself in a war between elves and dwarves.**

"We're closing up for the night, but if you could come back in the morning, I will be more than happy to assist you-"

A strangled yelp made Elsa descend the staircase, holding onto a candle to see what was going on.

What she saw made her gasp and drop the candle, the flame going out before it hit the floor.

The dead body of Jacob was at the door to the shop, where there was a masked man wiping his blade off on his shirt.

He spied Elsa and she was certain that he was grinning as he stepped over to her. Elsa turned to flee up the stairs only to trip and fall down the steps, her head throbbing where she hit it on the banister.

"Ah, aren't you a beauty," he whispered lustily before fumbling at his trousers.

Elsa managed to rip off a glove and made his privates freeze before she turned and fled.

She didn't make it out the door before she was grabbed again, this time by two other men, who laughed evilly. She stomped on the floor, freezing it over and making the men who were holding her slip and fall. She turned and ran out the door, looking behind her as she ran before colliding into something and falling down.

The horse she had run into whinnied and reared. Elsa rolled out of the way just in time as the horse's hooves came crashing down where her head had been a split second before and snorted angrily.

She sat up and stared in fear as the three men finally stumbled from the shop with anger in their eyes.

She shut her eyes as she heard the unmistakable sounds of fighting before it was still again. She opened her eyes and gasped loudly at what she saw.

A handsome elvin man was wiping his blades clean on one of the shirts of the men who had killed Jacob.

A muffled sob built up from deep within her chest and she ran back inside, where she saw the still body of Jacob. His eyes were wide with fright, seeming to look right through Elsa as she tearfully shut them before beginning to cry, noise wracking her body.

She wasn't aware that someone had entered the shop until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Elsa reacted out of instincts- she threw up her hands and a blast of cold air made whoever had touched her stumble away, giving her enough time to scramble to her feet and get into a fighting stance.

To her shock, it was none other than the elvin man who had killed the three men who had attempted to rape her.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you…" he murmured softly, holding up his hands to show her that he meant no harm.

Elsa hesitated before slipping her gloves back on and stepping into the moonlight provided by the open window which Jacob had always left open during the day for a fresh breeze.

"Who are you?" she asked suspiciously. The second he tried to do something funny, she would freeze him to death, she made her intensions quite clear to him as he followed her with wide eyes.

"My name is Prince Legolas, son of Elvenking Thranduil," he introduced himself carefully, knowing that she would not hesitate to kill if she felt threatened at all.

"Do you know Lady Minuialwen?" Elsa asked him quietly, slipping her gloves back onto her arms.

"She is my sister," he answered, clearly a bit nervous about dealing with this strange sorceress.

"Why is she a lady and not a princess?" she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Complicated politics," was all that he offered her, following her every movement she made as she walked backwards towards the stairs, where she knew that Jacob kept his blade. He had taught her a few basics on how to wield it and although she wasn't as good as she would liked to have been, she knew the basic blocks and parries well enough to hold her own for a short while.

"Legolas!"

Elsa's head snapped towards the cry, which turned out to be none other than Lady Minuialwen, who came into the shop with a worried look on her face.

"Elsa!" she cried upon seeing the trembling girl, who raced to hug the lady, sobbing uncontrollably into her shoulder. The lady of royalty made soothing sounds as she rubbed the young elf girl's back.

Elsa was aware of the two royal born elves exchanging words but could not make out what was being said. She felt tired suddenly and wanted to go upstairs and fall into a deep sleep and not wake up for a hundred years.

The last thing she remembered before drifting off was a rocking sensation, as though she were being carried off to a distance place…


	5. Chapter 5

**Snow and Lace**

**I do not own LOTR or Frozen.**

**SUMMARY:**

**Elsa is a motherless child living in the slums of Solaria. One day when she dares to run away from the cruel orphanage where she lives, she finds herself in a war between elves and dwarves.**

The next thing Elsa was aware of was a soft bed.

She drowsily flexed her hands, touching the soft blankets and sheets before opening her eyes.

She thought she was in a garden simply by the butterflies which flew over her bed and out the window. Elsa sat up and looked around, taking in the spacious room as she swung her legs out of bed and stood. She noticed that someone had removed her old clothes and that she was now dressed in a white nightgown with lace trim at the sleeves and hemline and ribbon bows on the yolk.

As her bare feet touched the floor, she realized that she was still wearing her gloves. Just as she was taking another step to see what lay outside, a quiet knock sounded at the door.

"Um, enter?" she called out and was relieved when the door opened to show Minuialwen, holding a stack of clothes.

"Elsa!" she cried, stepping lightly into the room and shutting the door. "I was beginning to worry when you hadn't woken up!"

"What time is it?" Elsa asked the lady, stepping over to the window to gaze outside.

"It's only a few hours past midday," she answered the young elf's question before setting the stack of clothes down at the foot of the bed and smiling gently.

"Do you want to see something I can do?" Elsa asked bashfully, then before the lady could say anything, peeled off her gloves and twirled around, extending her hands up into the air.

Immediately, her nightgown was transformed into an elegant outfit which consisted of a teal blue knee length tunic with draping sleeves and a pale blue long sleeved shirt underneath, white leggings, dark boots and a simple belt, all seemed to have been made of ice and crystals. Elsa took her curls and raked out the worst of the snarls with her fingers before braiding it off her shoulder and tying a pale blue ribbon which she made appear and finish the hair style with a simple snap of her fingers.

"Oh my heavens…" was all that Minuialwen could seem to say as Elsa slipped her gloves back onto her hands.

"I can control my powers for the most part, but its only when I get emotionally upset that they start to go haywire," Elsa explained with a small smile. "The gloves are just precautionary."

Minuialwen didn't seem to mind at all as she sat Elsa down and began to talk of everything under the moon and the sun.

Elsa learned that she and Legolas were the Elvenking Thranduil's only surviving children of five thousand years and that her older brother was in line for the throne. Minuialwen however had stripped herself of her princess title and instead had adopted lady as being her name. She and her older brother were close, as how they both shared the same mother. Minuialwen recited stories of how she would try to keep up with her older brother and of how kind he was to her even though they were separated by over half a century in years of age.

"I have a little sister, though we aren't related by blood," Elsa told Minuialwen while they walked through the gardens. "In fact, I should return to fetch her soon, she must be frantic about me…"

Elsa thought of Anna with her dark strawberry blonde braids and her freckled skin.

"You love her, don't you?" Minuialwen asked the ice sorceress softly.

"She is the closest thing I'll ever have to family," was the answer from the pale haired elf as Legolas entered the garden with an easy smile on his face.

"Legolas, you're just in time! Elsa was going to tell me of her little sister," Minuialwen cheerfully told him with a bright smile.

The prince's smile diminished only for a moment but Elsa still caught it.

"Is everything alright, your highness?" she asked him carefully.

"Yes," his answered came out a bit too rushed and forced. The young elf didn't say anything about it, instead opting for silence as she listened to the two siblings prattle on about something or other.

"Elsa, you've told me little of your sister, what of your parents?" Minuialwen asked carefully.

Elsa chuckled harshly.

"Ma was killed by Orcs years ago when I was seven or eight. My da was never around- she didn't speak of him and I didn't ask any questions. After fending for myself on the streets of Solaria for about six or seven months, I wound up in the orphanage."

The elvin royals took it that Elsa disliked the orphanage.

"I ran away about a month ago to find work and support Anna and myself without being told what to do and when to do it," she continued on, her gloved hand going to touch a faint scar on her neck. Legolas' hackles rose at the sight of the scar, which looked like it trailed across her back, judging by the way it slipped into her tunic.

"It was horribly, everyone would get a daily beating for so much as breathing a breath out of line," she continued in a dull voice.

"Your mother, who was she?" Legolas asked with bated breath.

"Her name was Idòn," she answered in a soft voice, looking down so that the siblings would see she was blinking back tears which threatened to spill over at the drop of a hat.

"And your father?" he pressed gently, knowing that if he pushed too hard, he would regret it dearly.

"She never spoke of him," Elsa repeated herself through gritted teeth.


	6. Chapter 6

**Snow and Lace**

**I do not own LOTR or Frozen.**

**SUMMARY:**

**Elsa is a motherless child living in the slums of Solaria. One day when she dares to run away from the cruel orphanage where she lives, she finds herself in a war between elves and dwarves.**

Elsa met the Elvenking at supper that night.

She still wore the simple yet elegant outfit she had magically conjured up with her ice powers and her gloves as well- she figured it would be wise to start off on the king's good side and not freeze him into a Popsicle.

Her hair, which had been braided neatly that morning, was ruffled from riding with Legolas and Minuialwen and showing off her superb skills with a bow and arrow, which were percfectly tuned despite living in the city, where hunting was banned.

"… so then Anna yells, 'It's not nice to throw people!' and she lobs a snowball at the offender!" Elsa's pale blue eyes sparkled with laghter as she told a story of how Anna took on the city bully and came out as being the victor despite only being armed with several snowballs. Legolas and Minuialwen were both laughing so hard they were crying as the three of them enetered the grand dining hall.

Elsa blew a few strands of escaped curls out of her pale blue eyes as she paused next to the door, watching Legolas and Minuialwen take their seats next to an older version of the prince.

"Don't be shy, dear one," the king coaxed. "Do come closer."

Elsa did as he asked, creeping into the room and forcing herself not to tremble.

He seemed shocked when he saw her face, but only for a moment. He cleared his throat and motioned for her to come and sit next to him, to which she looked at Legolas and Minuialwen with a scared and questioning look upon her face. The two siblings nodded, and that was all the encouragement she needed.

"Legolas tells me that you have a younger sister?" the king asked her as they ate.

"We're not related by blood techincally speaking, but we consider ourselves to be sisters to each other," explained the young girl bashfully, thinking of all the coins she had saved up in her room, waiting for Anna's impulsive wants and needs to pick through the coins.

"Oh? What is she like?" the king asked her, hoping to help the shy creature sitting next to him open up.

"She is spunky and impulsive, a loyal friend and a bit niave," Elsa confessed, giggling at a memory of Anna waking her up to build a snowman. "And she also loves winter, as do I myself."

"Oh?" the king prodded a bit.

In response, Elsa removed a glove and made a few snowflakes circle around the table in a simple dance, a waltz against the warmth of the room before melting into nothingness.

The king sat there in shock, trying to figure out what to say to the winter spirit who sat besides him eating a roasted mushroom.

Legolas was in equal shock. He turned to face his younger sister, who leaned into him and whispered into his ear, "I suppose I forgot to tell you that Elsa has talent?" In return, the prince just glared daggers at her.

"Yes, you did," he growled quietly to her.

"Do you by any chance know of an elf named Idòn?" the king asked her causally. He noticed that Legolas leaned forward with hope in his eyes. "Tall, pale, slender with dark brown hair?"

"And my eyes?" Elsa asked sadly. "My mother's name was Idòn- she died when I was fairly young, leaving me to fend for myself."

The king in return glared at Legolas, who was staring at Elsa with horror in his eyes. The prince took a deep shuddering breath before speaking.

"I once knew a woman named Idòn, she was my sweetheart." He looked down at his place as not to see Elsa's face. "But she disappeared sixteen years ago."

The only sound that was heard was the chair crashing to the ground and running footsteps.


	7. Chapter 7

**Snow and Lace**

**I do not own LOTR or Frozen.**

**SUMMARY:**

**Elsa is a motherless child living in the slums of Solaria. One day when she dares to run away from the cruel orphanage where she lives, she finds herself in a war between elves and dwarves.**

Elsa was found half an hour later, saddling up a horse. Legolas watched her in silence for a few moments, just wanting to watch her before letting her know that he was there.

She had freckles on her cheeks and nose, he realized with a start. Neither Idòn or him had shared the trait. Her pale blonde hair appeared snow white in the dim lighting of the stables, and her slender hands were quick as they checked the saddle straps.

She led the horse over to a mounting block and jumped on with ease.

"Elsa."

She turned at his voice and looked him in the eye.

"Elsa, please- where are you going?" Legolas pleaded with his daughter, who bit her lip.

"I'm going to get my sister and bring her back," Elsa finally spoke, avoiding her father's eyes as she kicked her horse into a heavy gallop which took them away from Mirkwood.

~xoXox~

"Pst, Anna!"

Elsa was outside the orphanage window, where she knew Anna slept in the bed next to the drafty opening, waiting for her older sister arriving to take her away.

"Elsa?"

The window cracked open to reveal Anna's dark blue eyes.

"Oh, Elsa! I thought you'd never come!" the twelve year old girl whispered happily before disappearing from view for only a minute before coming up with a runsack, which she tossed to Elsa, who tied it onto the back of her horse.

"Jump- I'll catch you, I promise!" Elsa told her. True to Elsa's words, she caught her little sister and quickly settled her behind her. "Hold on tight!"

And with that, the two sisters vanished into the night, never to be heard of again from the people of Solaria

"Where did you ever get a horse?" Anna asked her older sister figure as they traveled into the night.

"It's a long story," she answered.

"Please?" begged Anna as the horse nimbly jumped over fallen logs.

Elsa was silent for a few minutes, trying to collect her thoughts.

"Anna, have I ever mentioned-" she was cut off by two men on horses flanking them. "Hold on!"

Elsa shot ice at them, not wanting to hurt them, only stun them long enough for Anna and herself to escape.

"Don't flee!" came a voice that Elsa knew all too well.

"Legolas? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Elsa hissed, slowing the horse down to a gentle walk. Anna stared at the elvin prince in silence, hugging her sister's waist to hold on and not fall off, despite the horse going at an easy pace.

"I couldn't let you go off on your own- there are Orcs and giant spiders out here!" he told her, flanking her with another man who Elsa did not know.

"I got to Mirkwood on my own just fine. Need I remind you that I have a special talent?" the pale haired maiden asked the prince with an arched eyebrow before focusing her attention on the road ahead of them. "Anna, sleep. I'll wake you when we reach Mirkwood."

That was all the younger girl needed to hear before drifting off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Snow and Lace**

**I do not own LOTR or Frozen.**

**SUMMARY:**

**Elsa is a motherless child living in the slums of Solaria. One day when she dares to run away from the cruel orphanage where she lives, she finds herself in a war between elves and dwarves.**

When Mirkwood's gates opened for Elsa, her father and the other soldier, Anna only stired slightly in her sleep, her arms wrapped around the pale beauty's waist.

"Anna. Wake up, we're here," Elsa stated in a quiet whisper and that was enough to wake the younger girl. She used one hand to wipe the sleep from her eyes and she looked around with quiet amazement.

Dawn was arriving, setting all of Mirkwood in a certain beauty that could only be found in the early hours of the morning. Shops were opening for the day, with people scuttling about, conducting their own businesses and chatting for a few moments with others. When Legolas and Elsa rode past, they all dipped their heads down in respect.

"Elsa?" Anna whispered. "I'm kinda hungry…"

Legolas chuckled at the younger girl's statement. A few moments after, the baker's wife was offering the too thin girl some pasteries, which she began to cram into her mouth.

"Anna, slow down- sweet valore, when was the last time you ate?" Elsa muttered, embarrassed by her younger sister's lack of table manners.

"About a week or so ago- mistress needed money for her spirits, so we didn't eat," she mumbled around a glazed roll.

Legolas's jaw tensed up and his hands tightened at the reins, leaving Elsa to remember the brutle abuse that she and Anna had endured before she dared to escape from her so call "home".

"I don't miss it and neither will you," Elsa told her little sister with a grim smile before they reached the stables. She slid off first, telling Anna that she'd catch her, giving the younger girl what little physical strength she needed to complete the simple task. "Still sleepy?"

"A little bit," yawned Anna, standing up with Elsa as support. "I knew you'd return for me…"

"It's what sisters do," Elsa respond, smiling her thanks at the young elf who came out to take her hourse from her. "Come on Anna- you can sleep with me in my room for now, alright?"

~xoXox~

Later that morning, once Anna had been dressed in cleaner clothes an dgiving a smuch food as her starving belly could hold, Legolas came into Elsa's bedroom to explain why the pale beauty was living in the castle and not in town.

"Anna," the elvin prince began in a nervous tone.

"Legolas, let me," Elsa interrupted him, taking a hold of her sister's hands. "Anna, do you remember anything that I told you about my father?"

"You didn't speak muc about him- I just assumed that he left your mother after finding out that she was expecting you," Anna said without even thinking.

Legolas winced.

"Well, yes… and no…" Elsa nervously chewed her lip. "The truth is that my mother chosed not to tell my father about me, for what reason, I may never find out. But he is… kind of… an important person in Mirkwood…"

Here, Elsa hesitated, glancing up at her father for the right words. That look did not go unnoticed.

"Elsa has your eyes," Anna piped in, interupoting the silent exchange. She scooted closer to the crown prince. "You missed out on a lot of things, you know- like when I was sick and in bed, Elsa would make it snow inside so that we could play, and- oh, how could I ever forget?- when you punched whats-his-name-again in the nose for making me cry!"

Elsa chuckled, fiddling with her gloves, which did not go unocticed by either elf or girl.

"Elsa?" Anna called in a singsong voice. "Do you wanna build a snowman?"


End file.
